The reigning Tremendous Bowl champions have fallen.
The Philadelphia Eagles have been handed their first lack of the 2025 NFL season by Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos after Sean Payton’s troops rallied from behind to seal a 21-17 victory in entrance of the Birds’ stronghold at Lincoln Monetary Discipline.
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Regardless of having taken command of the sport, main 17-3 coming into the fourth quarter, second-year quarterback Nix spearheaded his staff to 18 unanswered factors within the fourth – finishing 24-of-39 of his passes for 242 passing yards and a landing – to ship Jalen Hurts and the Eagles to 4-1 on the season.
A.J. Brown hits out towards Hurts
However there’s one explicit play that has stolen the headlines for the Eagles.
Late within the third quarter, large receiver A.J. Brown appeared to surrender on a transparent landing after beating his solely firm in Broncos security Talanoa Hufanga.
Hurts initially appeared to have overthrown to his goal, however had Brown not slowed up, then it’s greater than potential that it could have been an enormous achieve and extra.
After the sport, Brown, who was seen studying a ebook on the sidelines throughout final 12 months’s playoffs, was requested concerning the play that would have secured victory.
“From my perspective, we simply missed,” Brown admitted.
“It is not that I did not suppose the ball was coming. After I appeared up, I did not see the ball, and once I appeared again, I did not see the ball. Then the ball was thrown. Like I stated, we simply missed.”
Brown went on to confess that he did not communicate with Hurts concerning the miscommunication on that exact play, however the Eagles quarterback was requested about it in his postgame press convention.
“I will have to actually watch the movie to have the ability to assess that,” Hurts stated. “Clearly, that is one that you simply need to hit in an enormous second of the sport.”
It is not all the time sunny in Philadelphia
Regardless of having two elite large receivers in Brown and DeVonta Smith, Nick Sirianni’s staff has usually favored the run sport to start the 2025 season, with the reigning NFL Offensive Participant of the Yr Saquon Barkley on the helm.
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With such a run-heavy gameplan, there seems to be some frustration from the receiving corps, with Brown and Smith coming into the Week 5 residence conflict towards the Broncos having mustered 151 and 158 receiving yards, respectively, and two touchdowns mixed.
Barkley, alternatively, entered Week 5 having racked up 237 speeding yards, 70 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Having seen restricted targets from their quarterback to this point all through the marketing campaign, rumors started to flow into suggesting that both one or each of Brown and Smith may even be moved on earlier than the commerce deadline, with the previous’s relationship with Hurts reportedly not as shut as has been the case in earlier years.
This alleged fractured relationship seems to be displaying on the sector, and former Alabama wideout Smith made his emotions identified after the sport, stating to reporters that he feels the offense is “not on the identical web page.”
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“We made enhancements in sure areas,” Smith stated. “We are able to nonetheless be quite a bit higher, we shot ourselves within the foot quite a bit.
“We left a few performs on the market the place we weren’t on the identical web page, however finally we have to get on the identical web page and proceed to be on the identical web page.
“It is simply the circulation of the sport, inside a play there’s a lot on guys’ minds, sure routes… Jalen has quite a bit on his thoughts and he is making an attempt to work via the safety and issues like that.
“There’s instances the place we take a look at him and he might give the sign earlier than or after we glance however finally we’ve got to be on the identical web page and see the sign it doesn’t matter what.”
With the Broncos stopping the Eagles’ speeding assault and Barkley solely in a position to muster 30 yards from six carries, offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo had no selection however to belief Hurts to maneuver the ball down the sector along with his arm.
Smith led all receivers with 114 yards – nearly matching his season whole from the earlier 4 outings – from a mere eight receptions, averaging 14.2 yards per reception, whereas Barkley had 58 receiving yards and a landing from three receptions, averaging 19.3 yards per reception.
Brown, alternatively, had 5 receptions for 43 yards.
The Eagles offense has appeared closely disjointed to start out the 2025 season, and if they’re to succeed in back-to-back-to-back Tremendous Bowl appearances, then they might want to do every part of their energy to “get again on the identical web page,” or they threat their season falling aside.
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